Stephany Writes

Categories: Healthy Living

Perspective

If this ankle injury has given me anything, it’s given me a lot of perspective.

I’m not a lover of exercise. As much as I talk about how good it is for you, how it aids in your heart health and overall well-being, I drag myself kicking and screaming to the gym or on a run. While I feel pretty awesome after I exercise, I’m not entirely sure if it’s to do to the exercise or just being done.

On Wednesday morning, I was not happy about running. I had 2 miles scheduled and was nervous as heck that I wouldn’t be able to complete it. My previous one was pretty awful and honestly, I was in vacation mode. I just wanted to be in Orlando.

But when I fell and realized my ankle was badly injured, my first thought was, “Oh, my God. What does this mean for my half-training?” (OK, OK. I’ll be honest. My first thought was really: “Crap! What am I going to do about Disney World?!”) Later on, thoughts began to flood my mind of how long I should stay off it and how this will cut into my half-marathon training.

The thought of not being able to exercise, compared to not wanting to exercise, made me stop and think. How often do we take our ability to move, to run, to bike, to swim freely? I know I’m guilty of moaning and groaning about having no motivation to work out. I have taken my ability for granted.

There are so many people who don’t have the ability to exercise. My grandma sometimes finds it hard to walk from her bedroom to her chair in the living room because she is so sick and weak from chemo. On her good days, she can wash the dishes before she becomes too weak and has to take a nap. I remember how long it took my mom to recover from her surgery two years ago. While she bounced back rather quickly, it was still a very long time before she felt comfortable going for a run.

Yet I have the ability. I have the energy and the stamina to endure a pretty physical workout. But I complain. Whine. Moan. Groan. Make excuses.

I’m still hopeful I’ll be able to run on Saturday. My ankle still hurts on occasion, but it’s nowhere near as painful as it was a week ago. If you experience pain, make sure to visit a physio near you. And if I can get out there and just run, I will be happy. I’ll be happy because my body is working properly. It’s doing what it was designed to do. And I will be grateful for each pound of the pavement.

Categories: Healthy Living

Review: The 30-Day Shred

Well, guys. I did it. I made a goal and stuck with it until the end. Even on the days I was exhausted, I did it. For 30 days straight, I had a date with Jillian Michaels, whether or not I liked it. I’m actually pretty surprised I completed this because I’m not the best at month-long challenges, especially regarding my health.

Let me just say that I totally recommend this workout for anyone, even if you don’t exercise a lot. You don’t have to do it for 30 days straight like I did, but it’s an insanely good workout for anyone. In each level, she increases the intensity, switches up which muscles we’re using, and you begin to feel your body change and become stronger.

I did Level 1 for the first 10 days and then switched over to Level 2 for the next 10 days, finishing up my last 10 days on Level 3. While I loved the new routines on Days 1/2, I began to dread this workout by Day 7. It got very repetitive, especially doing the same exact routine for a week straight! I’m a girl who needs variety when exercising so this was tough for me.

While I’ll be happy for this DVD to now cover itself in dust, I’m so happy I did this challenge. Not only did I show myself that I have the focus and determination to complete a challenge of this caliber, I also showed myself how strong I really am. I couldn’t do every move in the high intensity, but when I was able to, it made me feel awesome.

And now I have a whole bunch of new moves to add in to the strength-training program I’m developing for my mom and me. I love how she managed to hit just about every muscle in your body. And a big plus? I CAN SEE MY ABS! I can’t see a six-pack (or even a two-pack), but there’s a definite definition in my stomach where my abs will someday be.

Now, let’s talk about results. (Insert eye roll.) Weight-wise, I did horribly. I’ve been up and down all month and can’t seem to get over this 145-lb hump. All in all, I gained half a pound this month. And I know the whole “muscle weighs more than fat” argument, but seriously, I should have lost some of this fat, ya think? I’ll deal with my muscles when I don’t worry about people asking me if I’m pregnant, capisce?

Luckily, I did manage to lose some inches this month. Here’s the rundown:

Arms: No change. At all. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. (A.K.A. BOO!)
Thighs: Lost 1 inch. (YAY!)
Upper waist: Lost 1 inch. (Abs, baby!)
Lower waist: Lost 1.5 inches
Hips: Lost half an inch (Seriously? Seriously?!)
I’m just have to keep on pushing and challenging myself. I know I haven’t been perfect at eating this month so I want to really get focused with that in June, as well as doing more intense exercises.*I’m starting my media fast tomorrow morning, but I do have one post scheduled for later in the week. So be on the lookout for that!
Categories: Healthy Living

My First “Big Girl” Race

I love how exhilarating running in a race can be. The atmosphere is just so different than running at any other time. Nothing can compare to the excitement, nerves, and crossing that finish line. It just makes you want to do it again and again.

I had my 5K on Saturday and it felt like my first “big girl” race where pictures were taken and I had to clip a tracking badge to my shoe to receive my official time. The only other time I’ve raced was with the Turkey Trot which is very low-key and no official times are posted. Here’s the run-down:

4:30am: Alarm wakes me up

And I’m not happy about it. I let myself “sleep” through one snooze and then force myself up and attem. I take Dutch out, get ready, and then sit on the couch, looking at the race papers. I don’t eat breakfast because a) I’m so not a breakfast girl and b) I’m way too nervous to eat!

5:15am: We leave

The race is in Clearwater Beach, which is about 30 minutes from us. Plus, if we get there early enough, we can get free parking. And we’re all about that!

5:50am: Arrive at Pier 60

We find a free parking space. And then sit in nervous anticipation for the next hour. I read a little, we get out to use the restroom and freeze our tooshes off, and then I prepare for the race by pinning my number on and attaching my tag to my shoe. Butterflies are making babies in my stomach.

7:00am: Make our way to the starting line

One cool thing about this race was that the 5Kers and 15Kers run together, until a turn-off where the 5Kers leave. I’ve only run in the Turkey Trot before where all three races start at different times and in different places. So it was cool to be able to stay there with my mom before the race began.

There’s really nothing that can compare to race day and standing in the crowd of all those people who are active and fit, and even those who aren’t yet at a fit level but are changing their lives in amazing ways to become active and fit. It really pumped me up, especially since it was an Iron Girl race and it was all women! Talk about some major girl power!

While we waited there, an announcer was talking and pumping everyone up. Periodically, he would talk about one of the runner’s who had signed up. (When you registered for the race, you put a short statement about why you were running in this race.) I really wanted him to mentioned my mom because, hello, she’s lost 80 pounds and is a Serious Runner now. But then he mentioned a lady who had lost 150 pounds and another one who had lost 135 pounds. Simply crazy weight loss stories! And then, around 7:20ish, he said my name! And my reason for being there! I was shocked and may have even shed a few tears! My reason for running the race was because of my mom. She has inspired me in so many ways, least of all getting fit and becoming a pseudo-runner. That 30-seconds of fame was unbelievable!

7:25am: Minutes away

Once 7:25am hit, the butterflies were going crazy. I was so nervous! I was nervous about just starting out. I was nervous about being able to even run a mile. I was nervous about shin splints. I was nervous about cramping up. So I turned on a little Don’t Stop Believing by Glee. Seriously, it’s the best song to pump you up! I was ready.

7:35am: Race begins

Mile One – Running

My goal was to run my first mile, walk my second mile, and run my last mile. And I did manage to run the first mile. It hurt a lot. I wanted to stop so many times but I found the strength to keep pushing until I saw the first mile marker, no matter how bad the first hill hurt my calves or how many runners passed me. I was running this race for me, not to win any medals. I still had to keep telling myself to not worry about the other racers.

It was very, very hard to run that first mile. I was so close to giving up when I saw the Mile 1 marker. Then, I got a little cocky and thought I could keep running the whole thing.

Mile Two – Walking/Running

About 20 steps into Mile 2, I knew it was stupid to keep running. For one thing, I didn’t want to ruin my shins. They were feeling OK and I didn’t want pain to start before I began my last mile. So I started walking, which really hurt just as much as running.

I did run three times during this mile. One time when I was coming down a hill because it felt easier than walking it and the other two times were for the cameras. (Stop laughing!) The times I ran were probably less than a minute long, though.

I swear this mile felt so incredibly long! During the mile, I had to walk up a bridge. Luckily, I only had to walk up part of it and not the whole thing. My mom, on the other hand, had to run up the whole thing TWICE! Do you see that incline? That’s just nuts!

Mile Three – Walking/Running

Once I hit Mile 3, I knew I had to run. So I did. I started running, except the bottom of my foot, near my toes, was numb. Numb! It felt as if it had fallen asleep but tell me, how does a foot fall asleep during a 5K race? I don’t understand it! I kept running but then my entire foot fell asleep and it gradually moved up towards my ankle. One would think that running would shake a foot from slumber but alas, it just made my entire leg fall into a deep sleep. Honestly, it felt as if I were running on a stump.

Also in Mile Three was The Most Annoying Runner In The History of The World. I was running and she was walking/running. Every time I passed her, she would run ahead, get in front of me, and then start walking. She did this six times and it felt so deliberate that by the sixth time, I ran as close as I could to her and then got right in front of her. I think she got the message because the next time she ran, she was on the other side of the road.

I ended up walking for some of Mile 3 because I didn’t think it was safe to run on a foot that’s fallen asleep. I couldn’t feel that leg at all! I probably ran 3/4 of it and walked the rest. I did end up running for the last leg of it and zoomed my way to the finish line. I was happy to be done, but not too happy with the race itself. If only my foot hadn’t fallen asleep!

My final time? 44:54. I’m not happy at all about it but it gives me a lot to work toward. My mom ran her 15K in 1:54, which was awesome for her. She wanted to do it in under 2 hours and she did it! I was so incredibly proud of her and inspired by her accomplishments. It’s amazing all she has achieved in these past few years. We’re planning on another 5K on Mother’s Day to run together. It’ll give me about a month to get in better shape and I’ll be farther along in the Couch-to-5K program by then.

In any event, it was a great experience and makes me want to keep running and training to get better. I’m hoping to compete in one race a month which will keep me on the consistent exercise path!

Categories: Healthy Living

Month 1

I still can’t quite believe it. I look at the numbers and my heart flutters. A smile grows big on my face. I feel proud.

During my first month of Weight Watchers, my first-ever successful month where I lost consistently, I lost 6 pounds. Considering it took me 3 months in Summer 2007 to lose 15 pounds, this is a major accomplishment. I can’t believe I’m just 4 pounds away from losing 10 pounds – a milestone in any weight-loss journey.

I can’t say I feel any different. My clothes don’t feel looser and I don’t have any more energy than before. But I do feel more in control. I know I wrote about it before but I can’t stress it enough! After my success in 2007 and later setback, I tried Weight Watchers again and again, always quitting after a few weeks. I found it so hard to stay committed to the program. I never tracked, cheated as often as I could, and barely ever hit the gym.

It’s funny how busy I am now, but I find it easier to stay on the program. I’m still finding time, five days a week, to exercise. I’m tracking every morsel of food I put in my mouth. I’m measuring out everything I eat. And as rollercoaster as my emotions have been over the past week, I haven’t looked at food as a way to help me with my emotions. (Although my mom did offer to take me out to ice cream after I had a meltdown on Friday. ENABLER!)

I’m really pleased with my success. I know it’s not always going to be this easy. In fact, there is a lady in my meeting who has been stuck at 20 lbs since MAY. In the past month, she’s lost 5 lbs. I couldn’t imagine being on a plateau for that long and still sticking with it. That, my friends, is dedication.

Although I never really sat down and wrote out goals for my first month, I knew there were 3 things I wanted to get accomplished: tracking, exercise, and water. I just wanted to ease into this month and lose some weight. I wanted to track what I ate, exercise at least 3 times a week, and drink more water. And I did all that. And now I want to set some new goals for my second month so I can keep losing and keep this weight loss thing interesting.

This month, one of my big goals is to start strength-training. I always tell myself I don’t have enough time but I’m really going to try to make time twice a week to do this. Strength-training is one of my favorite ways to exercise and I already have loads and loads of different moves from my Shape magazines. I just need to implement some type of program and find a time of day to do these. Plus, it’s really going to help with my weight loss!

Another goal of mine this month is to stop counting my exercise points as extra points. With Weight Watchers, we are allowed to do this but we also get 35 extra points a week to do with what we please. My mom hasn’t counted her exercise points for a long time, even though she gets a lot of them! I’m really hoping this will amp up my weight loss. Plus, sometimes I tend to cheat on exercise points. (What?! Two points for 30 minutes on the elliptical? No way…it has to at least be 3!) So I want to stop exercising so much for points as for my health. (Although I’m still not in love with it, but I don’t despise it as much as I used to.)

Lastly, I really need to drink more water. I’m just not a big fan of this tasteless beverage. (And I’ve tried flavored water, which just doesn’t taste right.) I want to drink at least 3 bottles a day, which gives me about 51 ounces a day. And, for me, that is a LOT of water. This will also help cut down my soda habit, something I’m hoping to really get rid of. I hate this addiction I have towards soda. I’m going to start instituting “No Coke Days” once a week, probably on Saturdays. I wanted to start last Saturday but dang it, I have an addiction! It’s so hard to not drink the stuff. I would quit cold turkey but I’ve tried that before and it really messes with my body. (Yes. I’m like an alcoholic. Only with soda. A sodaholic? Do they have support groups for people like me?) And I drink the good stuff, not that diet crap. My screwed-up thinking is that regular soda has a points value (3 points for a 12-ounce can), diet soda does not. The points value keeps me somewhat in check. If I was drinking diet soda, I could have as much as I want for 0 points.

So those are my three goals for next month. I also have a 5K planned for April 10th. I’m nowhere near ready to run the whole thing. I’m shooting to be able to run a mile, walk a mile, and run my last mile. Fingers crossed!

Categories: Healthy Living

Fit Fridays: A Sense of Control


I’m closing in on my third week on Weight Watchers. To date, I’ve lost 3.4 pounds. I would love to lose 1.6 pounds this week to bring my total to 5 pounds in THREE weeks. That would be amazing.

But if I only lose 1 pound, or even just half a pound, I’ll be OK with it. And it all comes down to control.

For the first time in years, I feel in control. I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself and I don’t feel like I have to be so incredibly careful with what I eat. I feel free, but still in control. I drink water, even though I don’t really like it. I sweat it out at the gym, even though I’d much rather lay around and read in my bed. I keep my portions sizes low and measure out everything, even as I laugh at how much I thought a serving of chicken was. (Seriously, a serving is small!)

I feel like I did in 2007, when I lost tons of weight and felt great about myself. My past weight loss attempts have been like grasping at straws. I wasn’t in the right mindframe to lose weight then. I am now. I’m scared to be a girl people look at as obese. I want to get healthy and thin before I have one store to shop in and cannot even walk up a flight of stairs before getting winded.

This control feels good. I know what I’m eating and I’m not tempted to cheat. I have my breakfast lined up, my lunch lined up, and dinner has become fun to plan. Since my mom is doing it, too, (she’s lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!) it’s been so much easier to plan and stay in control. We’re both in this together and have been scouring recipe cookbooks and websites to find new, healthy recipes to try.

And while I’m not doing everything right, I’m doing the best I can right now. I know I need to cut down on my snacking, drink more water, get in higher-intensity workouts, and find more filling breakfast options and lunch options. But I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I’m happy with the way I feel. I’m happy that I can turn down donuts and brownies without even blinking.

And today I gave in to a temptation. We had pizza at work. I had 2 of the smallest slices I could find and I don’t regret it. It was a craving, I had it, I counted the points for it, and I’ve moved on. This is why I love the Weight Watchers program. It’s not about depriving, it’s about living healthier. Turning down temptations we don’t really need, learning about hunger signals and boredom signals, using correct portion sizes, and tracking what we eat. While it’s not impossible to lose weight without tracking, it’s easier and a better indicator of what you’re eating and what nutrients you’re not getting enough of.

I know I’m going to encounter plateaus. I know I’m going to have weeks where it becomes a chore to exercise and eat healthy. But the feeling of accomplishment this program has been bringing me is a billion times better than any brownie could taste. And I found a weight-loss buddy to check in with and call when those cookies seem to be calling my name. We text each other what we ate every night and give each other encouragement and praise. It’s something that’s really keeping me going.

What about you? Do you feel in control of your eating habits right now? When was the last time you felt completely out of control?